“What In The World?” Quiz – Nov 26-Dec 2, 2018

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NOVEMBER 2018 MONTHLY QUIZ WINNERS’ PRIZE

The Hell of Good Intentions: America’s Foreign Policy Elite and the Decline of U.S. Primacy by Stephen M. Walt

From the New York Times–bestselling author Stephen M. Walt, The Hell of Good Intentions dissects the faults and foibles of recent American foreign policy―explaining why it has been plagued by disasters like the “forever wars” in Iraq and Afghanistan and outlining what can be done to fix it.

In 1992, the United States stood at the pinnacle of world power and Americans were confident that a new era of peace and prosperity was at hand. Twenty-five years later, those hopes have been dashed. Relations with Russia and China have soured, the European Union is wobbling, nationalism and populism are on the rise, and the United States is stuck in costly and pointless wars that have squandered trillions of dollars and undermined its influence around the world.

The root of this dismal record, Walt argues, is the American foreign policy establishment’s stubborn commitment to a strategy of “liberal hegemony.” Since the end of the Cold War, Republicans and Democrats alike have tried to use U.S. power to spread democracy, open markets, and other liberal values into every nook and cranny of the planet. This strategy was doomed to fail, but its proponents in the foreign policy elite were never held accountable and kept repeating the same mistakes.

Donald Trump won the presidency promising to end the misguided policies of the foreign policy “Blob” and to pursue a wiser approach. But his erratic and impulsive style of governing, combined with a deeply flawed understanding of world politics, are making a bad situation worse. The best alternative, Walt argues, is a return to the realist strategy of “offshore balancing,” which eschews regime change, nation-building, and other forms of global social engineering. The American people would surely welcome a more restrained foreign policy, one that allowed greater attention to problems here at home. This long-overdue shift will require abandoning the futile quest for liberal hegemony and building a foreign policy establishment with a more realistic view of American power.

Clear-eyed, candid, and elegantly written, Stephen M. Walt’s The Hell of Good Intentions offers both a compelling diagnosis of America’s recent foreign policy follies and a proven formula for renewed success.

Source: Amazon

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We’ll post the answers and the names of the winner(s) in next week’s quiz.

Here’s last week’s questions and answers:

WHAT IN THE WORLD? QUIZ

NOVEMBER 19-25, 2018

1. Officials delayed plans to begin repatriating some of the 700,000 Rohingya refugees from camps in Bangladesh to Myanmar because of THIS: A. The U.N.-brokered deal between Myanmar and Bangladesh fell through B. None of the 2,000 refugees initially approved for repatriation was willing to go C. Heavy rains made transporting the refugees impossible D. Many of the refugees will go to India, instead Correct Response: B. None of the 2,000 refugees initially approved for repatriation was willing to go https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/15/rohingya-refugee-repatriations-bangladesh-myanmar 2. After examining “multiple sources of intelligence,” including phone conversations, a CIA report concluded that THIS person gave the order to murder journalist Jamal Khashoggi: A. Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman B. Khalid bin Salman, brother to the crown prince and Saudi Ambassador to the U.S. C. Mohammad al-Otaibi, Saudi Consul General to Turkey D. Saud al-Mojeb, Chief Saudi Prosecutor Correct Response: A. Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/cia-concludes-saudi-crown-prince-ordered-jamal-khashoggis-assassination/2018/11/16/98c89fe6-e9b2-11e8-a939-9469f1166f9d_story.html 3. UK Prime Minister Theresa May had a difficult week because of the unveiling of the long-awaited Brexit plan. British lawmakers voiced such opposition to the plan that Dominic Raab, May’s Brexit secretary, resigned. THIS UK concession to the EU is sparking much of the opposition: A. The decision to remain in the EU customs zone in order to avoid placing a border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland B. The agreement to continue to allow EU-based fishing companies to operate in UK waters C. The decision to make London a border-free, international city, in order to avoid losing many of the banks headquartered there D. The decision not to force repatriation of EU nationals living in the UK Correct Response: A. The decision to remain in the EU customs zone in order to avoid placing a border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland https://www.npr.org/2018/11/17/668765492/heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-brexit-after-a-tumultuous-week-in-the-u-k 4. Officials in THIS Latin American nation announced that the San Juan, a submarine that went missing almost a year ago with 44 crew members on board, has been found in a deep Atlantic ravine: A. Brazil B. Chile C. Colombia D. Argentina Correct Response: D. Argentina https://www.npr.org/2018/11/17/668915597/missing-argentine-submarine-found-in-deep-ocean-ravine 5. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops stunned many after it made THIS decision in the clergy sexual abuse scandal: A. It called for defrocking all clergy found guilty, including any who helped cover up instances of abuse B. It delayed taking any action at all, on order of the Vatican C. It demanded that all guilty clergy be turned over to secular authorities for prosecution D. It offered “religious rehabilitation” to all clergy found guilty of sexual abuse Correct Response: B. Delayed taking any action at all, on order of the Vatican http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-bishops-abuse-20181113-story.html 6. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) accidentally revealed that it is preparing a criminal indictment against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, a situation which could have long-reaching consequences for the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. How did the Department of Justice unintentionally reveal its plans? A. The old-fashioned way: The information was leaked to the press by an anonymous source B. WikiLeaks hacked into the DOJ system and posted documents C. In an apparent case of failed “cut and paste,” Assange’s name appeared twice in a filing to keep a different case under seal D. U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted about the Assange indictment Correct Response: C. In an apparent case of mistaken “cut and paste,” Assange’s name appeared twice in a filing to keep a different case under seal https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/16/doj-mistakenly-reveals-indictment-against-wikileaks-julian-assange.html 7. One protester died and over 200 were injured in France as hundreds of thousands of “yellow vest” protestors blocked roads and stopped traffic. The “yellow vests,” so called because of the safety vests they are required to wear while protesting, are angry with French President Emmanuel Macron over THIS legislation: A. Restrictions on cars in all large cities B. A new registration tax on all personal vehicles C. A new tax on diesel, whose price has already risen 23% over the last few years D. A new tax on all goods transported by truck in France Correct Response: C. A new tax on diesel, whose price has already risen 23% over the last few years https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46233560 8. The Trump Administration’s mission to get North Korea to denuclearize just became more difficult, as commercial satellite images revealed THIS: A. New stores of enriched uranium scattered across the Hermit Kingdom B. 13 secret missile manufacturing sites, as yet undeclared by Pyongyang C. Evidence that nuclear missiles are being tested within North Korea’s borders D. Evidence that large amounts of materials key to missile manufacture are entering North Korea through its border with Russia Correct Response: B. 13 secret missile manufacturing sites, as yet undeclared by Pyongyang http://time.com/5452134/north-korea-secret-missile-sites/ 9. In a case involving two rival cheesemakers from THIS nation, the EU’s High Court ruled this week that the taste of a food or beverage cannot be copyrighted: A. France B. Denmark C. Italy D. The Netherlands Correct Response: D. The Netherlands https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/11/13/667461481/theres-no-copyrighting-taste-rules-eu-court-in-dutch-cheese-case 10. Jewels belonging to THIS former European queen were auctioned off by Sotheby’s this week. Much of the collection, including a pearl necklace that sold for a record $36 million, had not been seen in public for at least a century: A. Catherine the Great of Russia B. Victoria of England C. Catherine of Aragon of England D. Marie Antoinette of France Correct Response: D. Marie Antoinette of France https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46199276 COPYRIGHT 2018, Tennessee World Affairs Council

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